mashfandomcom-20200216-history
Captain Steven J. Newsom
Capt. Steven J. Newsom, a temporary replacement surgeon who visits the 4077th. appears in the Season 8 episode of M*A*S*H titled "Heal Thyself". The part of Captain Newsom is played in the episode by Edward Herrmann. About Captain Newsom When Colonel Potter and Charles both come down with the mumps, they put in a request for a temporary replacement surgeon, later that day, one arrives - Captain Newsom, who greets Hawkeye and B.J. with the same quick wit, and they take an instant like to him. As Hawkeye comments, "We can put a sign up in the OR - three stooges, no waiting." In OR, Newsom shows his chops. Even though he's regularly stationed in Tokyo, he's a superb surgeon, and tells horror stories about his previous experience in combat surgery at the Pusan Perimeter. Everyone in the unit seems to take to him immediately, and his jokey method while working fits in well. Mentinons Newsom of his experience at the Pusan Perimeter: "Seems like we were always bugging out. Oh, once, I remember I had to operate in a moving jeep in the middle of the night. Kid had about 12 pounds of shrapnel in his leg. I stretched him out across the back with a local anesthetic. Brand-new PFC driver. About 1 minute ahead of the North Koreans. Oh Anyway, I'm cutting, kid is screaming a leg is bleeding, and the driver's yelling, "Where are we?" It was a hell of a ride". When Hawkeye asks. "How'd it turn out?", Newsom replies "Okay. Kid kept his leg. We found the battalion. I stole a bottle of gin and got drunk. My driver asked for a transfer." Meanwhile, Potter and Winchester are at each other's throats cooped up in Potter's tent. Margaret brings Newsom by to meet them, and Winchester embarrasses himself assuming Newsom, after mentioning he's from Chicago, is poorly educated. He's chastened when Newsom mentions he went to Johns Hopkins. Later that night, even more wounded arrive, so Hawkeye, B.J., and Newsom have to put in another long session in OR. The next morning, Hawkeye finds Newsom wandering the compound, unable to sleep. Newsom admits that the situation at the 4077th is about as bad as everything he's seen. Later that day, there's more wounded, and with some of the nurses out sick with the mumps, OR is chaotic. During one operation, Newsom starts to seem nervous and indecisive, unable to decide whether to try and save the leg of a patient. Newsom begins muttering to himself, staring off into space. Hawkeye steps in, but Newsom, instead of taking an easier case, runs out into the hall. B.J. finds him and tells Newsom that he should take a few moments to calm down, but they need him back in there ASAP. Another badly wounded patient is brought in, but Newsom is nowhere to be seen, leaving Hawkeye and B.J. to handle the load on their own. Later that night, Hawkeye and the rest try and find Newsom and figure out what happened. Potter, from the door of his tent, alerts them that Newsom is inside. They find him sitting on the floor of the tent, in tears, rubbing his hands back and forth. Hawkeye and B.J. try and talk to him, but Newsom seems barely there - he mutters a bunch of random thoughts, clearly having experienced some sort of nervous breakdown. Potter suggests calling Sidney Freedman, and Hawkeye and B.J. head back outside. B.J. marvels that Newsom seemed "As strong as any of us." Hawkeye responds, "That's what scares me." Category:M*A*S*H television series characters Category:Notable characters Category:Doctors